CHICO — It’s the matchup both the Chico High and Pleasant Valley High football teams have been awaiting.

It’s the game both teams were expecting to play in, and now it has finally arrived.

The Northern Section Division II championship game kicks off Friday with crosstown rivals Chico and PV battling to earn a berth into the state tournament. Top-seeded Chico takes on No. 2 Pleasant Valley at 6 p.m. at Chico High in an Almond Bowl rematch.

“The Almond Bowl was a close game, and I thought both teams played well. When you play a team twice like this, we’re pretty evenly matched, it sets up for an exciting football game,” said Chico head coach Jason Alvistur. “These guys are ready. Whenever you play your crosstown rival it’s easy to get excited.”

It’s the fourth time in five years the Vikings will be playing for the section championship and its the second-straight appearance for the Panthers in the section final. The last time Chico and PV faced off for the section championship was in 1998.

“It’s great for both programs to be back in that scenario again after 20 years,” said PV coach Mark Cooley. “It’s something (Alvistur) and I talked about when I first got hired was it should be us two every year in the section final. Seven years later here we are.”

PV routed No. 6 seed Red Bluff 34-7 in the semifinal while Chico topped fourth-seeded Foothill 42-22 in the other semifinal to set up a rematch between rivals.

The Panthers won this year’s Almond Bowl 17-10 on Oct. 26 at home. It was Chico’s second-straight Almond Bowl victory and its third-straight win over the Vikings.

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However, PV is savoring a second chance at the Panthers and would like nothing more than to avenge the loss.

“They are definitely motivated by it,” Cooley said. “Once you lose that one you always hope you can get another shot to go play those guys again.”

The Vikings are hoping to correct their mistakes made during the Almond Bowl. It was tied 3-3 heading into halftime and tied again 10-10 in the second half. An interception from Anthony Thomas led to a 9-yard game-winning touchdown run for Ty Walker.

“There was lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties the last time. It was a fluke game for us but hopefully we can get it done this time,” said PV quarterback Tanner Hughes. “We don’t want it to be our last game.”

Both teams squared off in last year’s D-II semifinal that Chico won 28-7.

However, Chico lost in the title game to Shasta last year and it was a feeling quarterback Ty Thomas won’t forget.

“To get so close last year and then lose, I still remember losing the section championship last year and being on the field at Shasta and sitting there for a solid 10 minutes thinking I want to be back here,” Ty Thomas said.

Alvistur said this year’s group, especially the seniors, were motivated in the offseason to make it back to the section title game.

“They definitely bought in to our defense and offense. They’re very competitive,” Alvistur said. “All those things mixed together gets us back here. It’s been a fun year.”

Alvistur credited his team’s defense for driving them back to the championship game. Leaders like seniors Bobby McCoy, Jose Martinez and Anthony Thomas have been the driving force for the Panthers all year.

“The defense — they definitely represent the personality of this team. Lots of energy, they tackle well, they’re physical. They have a feisty nature to them,” Alvistur said. “This defense is really dialed in and it’s the heart and soul of our team.”

For PV, its two weapons on offense, receiver Caleb Cooley and running back Dante Martin, were sidelined against Red Bluff from ankle injuries. Mark Cooley said both players will be a “game-time decision.”

“It’s going to be difficult. It’s always hard to beat the same team twice in one season,” Ty Thomas said. “It was a close game last time it’ll probably be a close game this time.”

Alvistur, a 1990 graduate of Chico High, won a section title as a player in 1989. But the Panthers haven’t won a section championship since 1990, a 28-year drought they’re hoping to end on Friday.

“We’ve had some good teams run through here and some good kids. But that section championship has been elusive,” Alvistur said. “It’d definitely be a monkey off my back. It’d be great for the school and the Chico High community.”